Defence: Procurement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent by each of the armed services on defence procurement in the latest year for which figures are available; and how much such expenditure was incurred by each service in  (a) Wales,  (b) Northern Ireland,  (c) England and  (d) overseas.

Quentin Davies: The defence budget is not allocated by service or by sub-UK level, Defence Procurement provides the UK armed forces with the equipment needed as efficiently as possible to deliver the best value for money for the armed forces. The Defence Budget is planned solely on this basis.
	The latest estimates of direct MOD expenditure on equipment and non-equipment procurement are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million at current prices (VAT exclusive) 
			  2006-07  Wales  Northern Ireland  England  Overseas 
			 Total 220 200 15 230 2,330 
			  of which: 
			 Equipment expenditure 120 60 9,620 2,170 
			 Non equipment expenditure 100 140 5,610 160 
			  Note: Figures rounded to nearest £10 million 
		
	
	The data underlying the estimates of direct expenditure on procurement cannot be broken down by service. In addition, these figures do not take into account expenditure by main contractors to sub-contractors in these geographic areas, nor do they take account of monies paid for work done in that area if the company's billing address is elsewhere.
	The MOD reports spend on procurement in the UK Defence Statistics can be found at the following link;
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/UKDS2008/ukds.html
	This annual report presents the MOD procurement of goods and services in the UK broken out by industry sector and estimates of aggregate MOD equipment expenditure.

Departmental Budgets

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's science innovation and technology budget is for 2010-11.

Quentin Davies: The current planning assumption is that the SIT budget will have available approximately £439 million in 2010-11. This compares with £544 million in 2009-10 when calculated on the same basis. Departmental expenditure limits have not yet been set for the years beyond 2010-11.

Ex-servicemen: Sleeping Rough

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department's Taskforce established to tackle rough sleeping among forces veterans has made; and what his most recent estimate is of the number of veterans sleeping rough at the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: Service men and women should be provided with the best possible support as they move back to civilian life, and this is recognised in the Service Personnel Command Paper, "The Nation's Commitment: Cross-Government Support to our Armed Forces, their Families and Veterans", published in July 2008.
	Measures proposed in the Command Paper to improve access of ex-Service personnel to housing include: a change in legislation to enable Service personnel to establish a local connection with the area in which they are serving; an investigation to see what steps are required to ensure that local authorities follow good practice in respect of 'cessation to occupy' certificates when service-leavers are threatened with homelessness; the consideration of how 'void' military accommodation can be used to temporarily accommodate injured ex-service personnel; and an extension to the Key Worker Living programme to ex-service personnel for up to 12 months after discharge.
	The Department does not hold figures on the number of veterans sleeping rough. However, independent research carried out, specifically in London, last year by the University of York shows that the proportion of veterans among the homeless population has fallen dramatically over the last 10 years. Veterans are now some 6 per cent. of the homeless population in London.
	The MOD works closely with the Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) and the Devolved Administrations, veterans' organisations and other service providers to ensure a co-ordinated and structured approach to this problem as it affects a small minority of our ex-service personnel. We aim to prevent new service leavers becoming homeless and to provide an effective safety net for those veterans who are homeless.
	Current measures, including new commitments in the July 2008 Service Personnel Command Paper, provide a comprehensive package of support. Mike Jackson House provides 25 units of secure short-term supported accommodation built in Aldershot for young single ex-service leavers identified at risk of homelessness. Mike Jackson House opened in March 2008 on land gifted by MOD.
	There are service charities who are able to offer assistance with housing matters. The Soldiers, Sailors, Airman and Families Association (SSAFA Forces Help) for example offer assistance and advice relating to housing needs